"Alright, you can go out... let me be alone for a while." Bai Ya silently cradled her head at the lab table, wearing an expression of self-doubt. She didn’t know why things had turned out this way. In her mind, this should’ve been the simplest step—even seven- or eight-year-old interns could handle it.
Today, Bai Ya had woken unusually early. By the time Yue Ge came to rouse her, she’d already fixed her hair and changed. After all, this task wasn’t trivial, and she’d wanted to give him ample time to practice.
To her surprise, Yue Ge’s talent here was catastrophically bad. Hopelessly so. The most basic step in Essence creation was sensing Essence flow and separating useful from useless streams. If he couldn’t manage that, effort was pointless.
Bai Ya had assumed that since Yue Ge could absorb divine-class Essence, this would be easy—just a matter of practice and instinct. But after watching him for over an hour, she’d confirmed one thing.
"...Should I try again?" Yue Ge stared at the grayish-green test tube in his hand.
"No need. Extracting from liquid is the easiest part. If you can’t pull Essence from fluid, solids are out of the question." Bai Ya waved dismissively, nearly adding, "Just give up." Only her certainty that Yue Ge wouldn’t lie about this stopped her from thinking he was faking it.
Yue Ge forced a bitter smile, speechless. In a way, making Bai Ya wear that expression was an achievement. But blood was just blood to him—he sensed nothing special. Bai Ya’s "Essence flow" felt like an abstract concept, maybe just cells.
"Don’t dwell on it. I only hoped you could handle simple tasks. It’s fine if you can’t." Seeing his face, Bai Ya sighed softly. "I just worried you’d feel awkward standing there."
"I’m not that fragile," Yue Ge shook his head. He knew she meant well. "Other work? Assistant duties?"
"If no expertise is needed... material handling, perhaps. Like a personal assistant. We had that role once. I abolished it."
"Why?" Yue Ge asked.
"Unnecessary. I rarely have schedules." Bai Ya propped her head up, swiftly using a dropper to transfer blood from one tube to another. "Back then, I slept in the lab—no time for trivial arrangements. That assistant reported every little thing. So I cut the position."
Initially, Bai Ya valued having someone remind her of time during those bone-tiring days. But the role corrupted over time—or rather, the person did. A personal assistant never touched lab work; frankly, it was a glorified nanny role. Technically under Logistics, not Research, the position’s purpose was clear.
The real issue was direct access to Bai Ya. Facing her notorious temper was daunting; routing messages through the assistant seemed smarter. That was fine—until bribes grew larger, twisting the job’s nature.
Bai Ya’s sharp mind caught on fast. One glance at the contact list revealed outsiders with no right to reach her. The next day, she axed the role. Her authority made it effortless.
She lacked energy for messy politics. And she wasn’t selfless: rules existed to be enforced. Mistakes demanded punishment—that was her creed.
She wasn’t emotionless. But breaking her own rules unnecessarily? No. Here, even Lingkong only advised; decisions were hers. She rarely defied him openly, despite her blunt words. Everyone in the Organization knew her loyalty to Lingkong was absolute. As long as she stood by him, the Organization held firm—which was why she kept her Research Department post despite leaving headquarters.
Her cold nature clashed with the role’s political demands. But this wasn’t a corporate world; raw power trumped words. A blunt approach suited her. She could act first and report later. Firing staff wasn’t her right—Research members stayed for life or died. Both the Organization and Force guarded Essence creation secrets fiercely. So she acted.
Quick results outweighed consequences. She’d shoulder them all. Raised in labs, she’d never learned traditional morals. That she hadn’t turned twisted was luck—just a cold personality.
Yue Ge knew none of this. He grasped only surface details of her past. She never shared deeper history, and he never pried. With his current mindset, he likely wouldn’t react strongly anyway. He trusted what he saw.
"Get ready. Time’s almost up." Bai Ya glanced at the clock and packed the tubes.
"So I’ll stand behind you again today?" Yue Ge asked.
"As you like." Bai Ya waved, turned to cloth-draped materials, and yanked the hundred-square-meter fabric aside. Ignore her stunning face—she could tear monsters apart barehanded.
Daily exposure to Bai Ya had numbed Yue Ge to beauty. That first-meeting awe would never return. Only Sunan compared to her, though their vibes were worlds apart.
"Oh—change clothes. New lab coats are in the changing room." Bai Ya glanced back. "You’ll be less... grating to look at."
"...That last part was uncalled for," Yue Ge sighed. Sometimes her detached tone cut deep.
The lab’s "changing room" was actually for disinfection. Essence creation needed no sterilization—viruses were trivial compared to Essence. No Chosen One ever fell ill; pathogens were just Essence fodder.
Before reaching it, Yue Ge met someone he dreaded.
"Morning. Changing?" Wang Ming smiled, stopping before him.
"Yeah. The ‘assistant’," Yue Ge replied flatly.
"Do your best," Wang Ming patted his shoulder, still smiling, and walked past.
Yue Ge watched him go, brushed his shoulder lightly, and headed for the changing room.
